They're unbeaten, but are Falcons the NFL's best?
Paste BN Sports' view of the strength of all 32 teams entering Week 10. Last week's rankings in parentheses.
1. Atlanta Falcons
Halfway to 16-0, and the rest of their schedule doesn't feature a team currently with a winning record. (1st)
2. San Francisco 49ers
Momentum will be tested as they come off a stretch that included one game in a 23-day span. (3rd)
3. Chicago Bears
Who needs offense? Chicago's defense and special teams have scored eight TDs — three fewer than the Jaguars' total. (6th)
4. Houston Texans
They've done a nice job protecting the ball, a trait that will be tested Sunday night by the opportunistic Bears. (4th)
5. Green Bay Packers
He and his mates are getting beaten up — hello, bye week — but QB Aaron Rodgers has 22 touchdown passes (and five wins) in his last six starts. (5th)
T6. New England Patriots
They didn't rest on their laurels in the bye week, adding talented corner Aqib Talib to a secondary in need of help. (7th)
T6. New York Giants
Maddening inconsistency persists, but fortunately they play in a division of teams with much larger issues. (2nd)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
So much for their inability to play well on the road. If Troy Polamalu and the backfield get healthy, watch out. (10th)
9. Denver Broncos
On a day when Peyton Manning was merely human, Von Miller stepped up with a three-sack day in Cincy. (8th)
10. Baltimore Ravens
If only they exclusively played divisional games. Baltimore has won 11 in a row against AFC North foes. (9th)
11. Seattle Seahawks
The normally staunch run defense has been shredded for more than 500 yards over the last three weeks. (11th)
12. Detroit Lions
Back at .500 after a nice outing from WR Calvin Johnson and a breakout game for RB Mikel Leshoure. But the schedule doesn't let up in the second half. (12th)
13. Indianapolis Colts
Five wins and 2,404 passing yards through eight games. Those numbers apply to Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. (22nd)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rookie Doug Martin is dialed in, averaging more than 200 yards from scrimmage in his last three outings. (18th)
15. San Diego Chargers
Three of their next seven games to be played on the East Coast, probably not welcome news for a team susceptible to wild swings. (19th)
16. Dallas Cowboys
Don't bury them just yet. Dallas is scheduled to play one more opponent who presently owns a winning record. (14th)
17. New Orleans Saints
Two games against the Falcons this month will provide a further barometer of where New Orleans really rates. (20th)
18. Minnesota Vikings
There's grumbling up north because struggling QB Christian Ponder has been held below 100 passing yards twice in the last three weeks. (13th)
19. Philadelphia Eagles
They can still do damage with five NFC East games upcoming but might have to do so without 80% of the starting O-line. (16th)
20. Miami Dolphins
It might be time to saddle up Reggie Bush and ride him a little harder. He has had 20 touches in a game once since Week 2. (15th)
21. Cincinnati Bengals
Apparently, Marvin Lewis' message needs more time to sink in with Andy Dalton and Rey Maualuga. (21st)
22. St. Louis Rams
The offense should get a boost Sunday with the expected return of slot man Danny Amendola. (24th)
23. Arizona Cardinals
They have allowed an increasing number of points five weeks in a row, with a trip to Atlanta looming after the bye. (23rd)
T24. New York Jets
In a season that's quickly going off the rails, much of the team spent the bye week in the dark, courtesy of superstorm Sandy. (28th)
T24. Washington Redskins
The bloom is off the rose after downcast Mike Shanahan lamented his team's defeat in a "must-win" game vs. the Panthers. (17th)
26. Carolina Panthers
RGIII 2.0? A ridiculous notion, but Cam Newton sent a reminder of why he was everyone's favorite young QB three months ago. (29th)
27. Oakland Raiders
A team that hasn't been able to run the ball all season (and now has no healthy backs) suddenly can't stop it, either. (25th)
28. Buffalo Bills
GM Buddy Nix says Chan Gailey's job is safe, but he won't give struggling QB Ryan Fitzpatrick the same assurance. (27th)
29. Tennessee Titans
Ugly Sunday. Bears fans overran LP Field, and owner Bud Adams threatened to overhaul the franchise if play doesn't improve. (26th)
30. Cleveland Browns
The new Browns are 7-21 against the old Browns, with the Ravens running their winning streak vs. Cleveland to 10. (30th)
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Probably not too early to ask if they'll enlist a replacement for Blaine Gabbert atop the 2013 draft. (31st)
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Yes, a national TV audience must endure another week of watching them, albeit with a new defensive coordinator. (32nd)
Power rankings are voted on by editors and writers from Paste BN Sports' NFL desk. Comments by Nate Davis.